The Chancellor of Cambridge Condemned "Racist Harassment" Following the Death of Professor Ardey
Chris Smith, Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, condemned the “racist smear campaign” surrounding the plagiarism allegations against Professor Jason Ardey. Arday was found dead last week at the age of 41, Channel NewsAsia reported, citing AFP.
Arday was a professor of sociology of education. In 2023, he became the youngest Black professor in Cambridge’s history. On August 5, the scholar resigned following media attention surrounding allegations that he had allegedly plagiarized parts of his doctoral dissertation and exaggerated his personal achievements.
In an open letter announcing his resignation, Ardai wrote that he had “reached the limits of what any person can reasonably be expected to endure.” The cause of his death has not been disclosed.
In a comment to the BBC, Smith stated that such allegations should be “thoroughly investigated.” At the same time, he said that people should not engage in “racist witch hunts against a specific scholar,” without naming Ardai directly.
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The professor’s family spoke of a “campaign of prolonged harassment” dating back to his appointment at Cambridge in 2023. The group Stand Up To Racism announced a protest in London titled “Against Racist Witch Hunts,” as well as a separate event in Cambridge.
The activist organization Good Law Project launched a petition demanding an immediate public investigation into the media coverage of Ardey’s case. As of Monday, more than 83,000 people had signed it, including MP Diana Abbott and Green Party leader Zach Polanski. The petition asserts that the scholar’s death was “a direct, foreseeable, and intended result of the press’s persecution”; Downing Street has not indicated whether it plans to conduct such an investigation.
Following the news of Ardey’s death, Cambridge University Vice-Chancellor Deborah Prentice announced an investigation into the circumstances of his appointment and work at the university.
